by Brian Biggane Coach Tony Sparano Friday blamed his team’s propensity to pass rather than run in the past two games on the disguised coverages third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen is seeing from opposing defenses and said his team needs to go back to basics to re-establish its running game.

“We’ve probably got to go back and start to identify the staple runs,” Sparano said at his morning-after press conference less than 12 hours after the Dolphins suffered a 16-0 loss to Chicago, the first time the team had been shut out at home in exactly nine years.

Sparano said offensive coordinator Dan Henning gave Thigpen the option to execute either a run or pass in numerous situations, and that when he got to the line of scrimmage he opted for the pass.“It’s not that (we’re) calling pass plays,” he said. “I’ll give you an example: On the fifth series of the game we called four run/pass (options) in a row. On one of those four they baited Tyler a little bit and he threw the ball down the sideline and got it to Brian Hartline for 25 yards. In those situations we’ve got to have more handoffs and less worrying about the chunk play just because the coverage dictates the chunk play.

“We had a couple of situations where the coverage dictated those. We had a couple of throws to Brandon (Marshall) early in the game that were those kinds of plays as well. So when the coverage tells you to throw the ball you’re obviously not handing it off.”

So you gave the 3rd string QB who is dying to prove that he is the next Joe Montana the option to pass or Run and your not sure why he picked pass? Come on now why would you give any of our QBs (except Chad P) the ability to pick run or pass that many time in a game..

maybe after you had a better feel for what he could do after all this time on the bench... but his first start?

You're hate is beginning to sound like stupidity. Tony Sparano cannot go out and pass the ball, catch the ball, run the ball, get off blocks, keep his feet on the ground without slipping constantly, etc. Our players have made a lot of critical mistakes, but the easy thing to do is blame coaching. I like Sparano, Henning not so much..but do you really expect Sparano to come out and say Henning is to blame? Henning has been around for a while and deserves some respect, even if he is going to be shown the door. You do it proper, not by calling him out after a shutout in the middle of the season when you're players came out and played flat. If you go back and watch a lot of these questionable plays, if one or two guys would execute and do what they're supposed to do the play would be succesful.

We're one of the youngest teams in the NFL (I believe we're the youngest actually). Mistakes are happening a lot, but these guys are learning and growing as a team. Getting rid of Sparano right now would be stupid, imo. He has turned a 1-15 old team to a young and competitive team, and I believe with another draft or two we can really get over the hill.

You're hate is beginning to sound like stupidity. Tony Sparano cannot go out and pass the ball, catch the ball, run the ball, get off blocks, keep his feet on the ground without slipping constantly, etc. Our players have made a lot of critical mistakes, but the easy thing to do is blame coaching. I like Sparano, Henning not so much..but do you really expect Sparano to come out and say Henning is to blame? Henning has been around for a while and deserves some respect, even if he is going to be shown the door. You do it proper, not by calling him out after a shutout in the middle of the season when you're players came out and played flat. If you go back and watch a lot of these questionable plays, if one or two guys would execute and do what they're supposed to do the play would be succesful.

We're one of the youngest teams in the NFL (I believe we're the youngest actually). Mistakes are happening a lot, but these guys are learning and growing as a team. Getting rid of Sparano right now would be stupid, imo. He has turned a 1-15 old team to a young and competitive team, and I believe with another draft or two we can really get over the hill.

Add Miami to the list of Bill Parcells failures... Nothing like coming in, getting our hopes up and then hauling a$$ before it all blows up in your face. Drop the ball and put the blame on Ireland/Sparano...

You're hate is beginning to sound like stupidity. Tony Sparano cannot go out and pass the ball, catch the ball, run the ball, get off blocks, keep his feet on the ground without slipping constantly, etc. Our players have made a lot of critical mistakes, but the easy thing to do is blame coaching. I like Sparano, Henning not so much..but do you really expect Sparano to come out and say Henning is to blame? Henning has been around for a while and deserves some respect, even if he is going to be shown the door. You do it proper, not by calling him out after a shutout in the middle of the season when you're players came out and played flat. If you go back and watch a lot of these questionable plays, if one or two guys would execute and do what they're supposed to do the play would be succesful.

We're one of the youngest teams in the NFL (I believe we're the youngest actually). Mistakes are happening a lot, but these guys are learning and growing as a team. Getting rid of Sparano right now would be stupid, imo. He has turned a 1-15 old team to a young and competitive team, and I believe with another draft or two we can really get over the hill.

Not according to an interview earlier with Henning. His quote "we get paid a lot of money to make those decisions". Henne followed up later with "you have to ask the coaches". This was in response to whether he had the ability to audible.

You're hate is beginning to sound like stupidity. Tony Sparano cannot go out and pass the ball, catch the ball, run the ball, get off blocks, keep his feet on the ground without slipping constantly, etc. Our players have made a lot of critical mistakes, but the easy thing to do is blame coaching. I like Sparano, Henning not so much..but do you really expect Sparano to come out and say Henning is to blame? Henning has been around for a while and deserves some respect, even if he is going to be shown the door. You do it proper, not by calling him out after a shutout in the middle of the season when you're players came out and played flat. If you go back and watch a lot of these questionable plays, if one or two guys would execute and do what they're supposed to do the play would be succesful.

We're one of the youngest teams in the NFL (I believe we're the youngest actually). Mistakes are happening a lot, but these guys are learning and growing as a team. Getting rid of Sparano right now would be stupid, imo. He has turned a 1-15 old team to a young and competitive team, and I believe with another draft or two we can really get over the hill.

Not according to an interview earlier with Henning. His quote "we get paid a lot of money to make those decisions". Henne followed up later with "you have to ask the coaches". This was in response to whether he had the ability to audible.

That's just our staff being secretive. Henne, along with Thigpen and Penny, are given "kill" plays. It's obvious if you actually watch the games, because the QB yells kill to the offense, which then runs the other play called. It's very common and very easy to tell when the qb is changing the play up.

[That's just our staff being secretive. Henne, along with Thigpen and Penny, are given "kill" plays. It's obvious if you actually watch the games, because the QB yells kill to the offense, which then runs the other play called. It's very common and very easy to tell when the qb is changing the play up.

So if the coaches say that they gave Thigpen the option on every play to run or pass, yet say that they do NOT do the same thing for Henne in another instance, your going to say that they are being 'secretive' in one instance and telling the truth in another; that seems convenient. You must be really smart, because your the only one I've heard say this. Too my knowledge, Henne is fairly handcuffed in this offense, matter of fact that has been the consensus all season long. I guess you know something the rest of us do not.

I think all of the QB's have a checkdown play. But I don't think any of them have the ability to change the play call at the LOS. Most high school football QB's have a red or green play. Green means run the original play. Red means run its sister play. However, just like the high school QB doesn't have the right to audible to a completely different set, I don't think Miami's QB's do either. The whole reason Pennington was a success in 08 was because he could do that.

You're hate is beginning to sound like stupidity. Tony Sparano cannot go out and pass the ball, catch the ball, run the ball, get off blocks, keep his feet on the ground without slipping constantly, etc. Our players have made a lot of critical mistakes, but the easy thing to do is blame coaching. I like Sparano, Henning not so much..but do you really expect Sparano to come out and say Henning is to blame? Henning has been around for a while and deserves some respect, even if he is going to be shown the door. You do it proper, not by calling him out after a shutout in the middle of the season when you're players came out and played flat. If you go back and watch a lot of these questionable plays, if one or two guys would execute and do what they're supposed to do the play would be succesful.

We're one of the youngest teams in the NFL (I believe we're the youngest actually). Mistakes are happening a lot, but these guys are learning and growing as a team. Getting rid of Sparano right now would be stupid, imo. He has turned a 1-15 old team to a young and competitive team, and I believe with another draft or two we can really get over the hill.

Not according to an interview earlier with Henning. His quote "we get paid a lot of money to make those decisions". Henne followed up later with "you have to ask the coaches". This was in response to whether he had the ability to audible.

I'll say it slowly.

H e n n e d o e s h a v e t h e o p t i o n t o a u d i b l e.

Stop with the disinformation.

_________________A good RB is nice, a good QB even better, but it's best to be able to stop someone first.

Yes, Rich. Henne has the option to audible, and has been given various kill plays (option run/pass) at various times. There is plenty of documented evidence.

Great! I read the local rags religiously and have never seen this documented evidence but have seen some to the contrary. I'd love for you to show this plenty of documented evidence to me because here is all I can find on the subject.

Quote:

According to Ricky Williams in an interview yesterday, Chad Henne is not allowed to audible at the line of scrimmage.

Ricky Williams stated this on Sid's show on WQAM just about a week ago.

And this all makes sense. Why this team will run the ball despite a 9 man front or throw despite a defense backing off. Why Henne uses so many timeouts during the games because he KNOWS the play isn't going to work.

I never said Henne is allowed to audible, I said that he is given 2 plays and has the option to run either one. Sparano said it on the Tony Sparano show one week and in a post game press conference, but I can't find the clip of it. You can watch the games and see Henne yelling kill, it's no secret. Again, that is not an audible, Henne isn't calling his own plays, he's simply checking down to the second play.

I never said Henne is allowed to audible, I said that he is given 2 plays and has the option to run either one. Sparano said it on the Tony Sparano show one week and in a post game press conference, but I can't find the clip of it. You can watch the games and see Henne yelling kill, it's no secret. Again, that is not an audible, Henne isn't calling his own plays, he's simply checking down to the second play.

And I've heard clips of Henning saying that Henne has to run the play he is given and stating that why should he be calling plays on the field when the offensive coordinator gets paid to call the plays...

(On what his thought process is with snapping the ball with having 11 or 12 seconds left on the play clock and if it’s for any particular reason) – “No, I think in the second half we were doing more audibles so it was taking a little bit more time off the clock. No, no particular reason, but I think in the fourth quarter definitely you want to run some of that clock off if you’re up—see if you can get more clock off that way.”

Nothing will change offensively for Miami Dolphins despite QB switch November 12 Miami Herald The Dolphins feel their offense is one size fits all Chads.

That's according to offensive coordinator Dan Henning, who insisted nothing changes in the Dolphins going from third-year, big-armed Chad Henne, who sometimes struggles with accuracy at short-range passing, to 11th-year, not-so-big armed Chad Pennington, precise as Green Arrow in the short and intermediate ranges.

Nothing? Not your communication with the quarterback? Not their input into play selection or freedom to audible?

``Same.''

Not even the playlist you take into any given game?

``Plays are based on who we're playing. I don't think we'll have a different scope of things,'' Henning said.